Two wedding anniversaries?

Not many have the opportunity to celebrate two wedding anniversaries--with the same person, that is. But that’s how it is for my wife and me.

Let me explain.

We were initially married 15 years ago this coming June in a civil ceremony. Like all others similarly wed, this vow remains in force only until “death do us part.”

Eight years ago today, my wife and I participated in a ceremony unique to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We were married “for time and all eternity” in a temple—specifically the Nauvoo, Illinois Temple. This second marriage, or sealing, as it is commonly referred to, has the potential to never end. If we remain true and faithful to the covenants we have made, then we will receive the blessings promised us. Not only can we be sealed together with our spouses and children, but we can also be sealed “for time and all eternity” with our ancestors, extending backward in time throughout all generations. The choices we make in the remainder of our lives will determine whether or not this sealing continues after we die. But the hope and the potential are there.

So on this temple marriage anniversary date, I say, “Happy anniversary to the one I love and hope to belong to. Forever.”

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